Archive for January, 2011

Earth Advantage has released the list of Green Building trends to be on the lookout for this year. Here are the top ten:

10. Life-cycle Analysis – The green building industry is studying how materials perform over their life-cycle, starting with the extraction of raw materials and ending with decomposition. They examine the materials’ impacts on our Earth by looking at their embodied energy, solid waste, air and water pollution, and global warming potential. This analysis will help determine which materials really are green.

9. Small Building Certification – New programs are popping up all over the place to help small buildings get LEED certified. These programs have lower costs making it easier for small building owners to get certified.

8. Residential Grey Water – Water shortages are quickly becoming a reality in many parts of the country, so recycling household waste water is becoming more popular. On top of reducing water usage, there is less strain on septic and storm water systems.

7. Rethinking Residential HVAC – New homes have a much tighter sealed exterior with much thicker insulation, so there is less need for furnaces. These home are heated by everyday activity and appliance usage. Builders are also bringing duct work inside the insulated envelope, reducing heating and cooling costs by reducing the amount of conditioned are that is lost.

6. Accessory Dwelling Units – Accessory dwelling units are small, detached buildings used for offices, studios, ‘mother-in-law’ homes, or rental units. They are the ideal size for energy efficiency and help reduce urban sprawl.

5. Smart Appliances – Smart meters give homeowners feedback on their energy usage and let them see how much energy each appliance is using, allowing them to conserve energy during peak hours.

4. Community Renewable Energy – Neighbors are beginning to come together and install solar panels to share renewable energy systems. Buying as a group can reduce cost by 15-25%. It also lets you benefit from solar power if you can’t instal panels for whatever reason.

3. Performance-Based Energy Codes – New codes require buildings to report their performance levels annually to make sure they are staying on target with their predicted energy usage. Current practices make sure that new construction or retrofits are up to the standards in the beginning, but do not make sure they actually live up to their promise.

2. Healthy Competition on Energy Consumption – Social networking sites are starting to see more and more people sharing their energy usage and competing to use less than their friends. There are also sites where you can track your home energy usage and earn rewards for saving energy.

1. The #1 Green Building Trend for 2011 is: Affordable Green – Building green is less expensive than it used to be. Energy audits are low-cost, and there are many energy-efficient retrofits that are inexpensive as well as lease-to-own programs for some more expensive retrofits. Habitat for Humanity builds LEED and Energy Star certified homes that are actually affordable, some as low as $100,000!

This may be one of our coldest winters in history (well, it’s one of the coldest ones I remember…but then again, I’ll probably say the same thing next winter). It was reported that 49 out of 50 states received snow yesterday - I wish it would have come down to Houston! With all this snow and ice, your pipes are likely to freeze. But, if you take these precautions, you will be less likely to have frozen pipes.

1. Wrap all exposed pipes – you can use blankets, newspaper, rags, whatever you have. Something is better than nothing! Don’t forget to check crawlspaces – pipes can freeze in there, too.
2. Remove hoses from your outside faucets and make sure they’re not leaking. A leaky faucet can freeze and back up into your house.
3. Make sure the whole family knows where the shut-off valve is just in case a pipe busts. It’s usually located where the water pipe enters the house or the utility room. If you do not have a shut-off valve any plumber can install one.
4. Keeping a trickle of water running will keep the water moving, making it less likely to freeze. We don’t want you wasting water, so only leave the water running on sub-zero nights. When you do leave it on, make sure the trickle is about the size of pencil lead.

If your pipes do freeze, your best bet is to wait until they thaw. If you have no running water, a plumber may be able to help. Just remember – never try to thaw a pipe with fire!